Bakersfield Condors Go for 5 as they Beat Utah Grizzlies 4-1 - ECHL

MLN - THE RAW FEED - www.mlntherawfeed.com - BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - G Yutaka Fukufuji made 46 saves and LW Mark Derlago scored twice as the Condors ran their winning streak to five games with a 4-1 triumph over the Utah Grizzlies in front of 5,581 fans Monday night at Rabobank Arena. The Condors gain two points on idle Stockton and Phoenix, and now have a four-point lead while occupying the seventh spot in the standings.

Physical play ruled the opening period, continuing where these two teams left off on Saturday night, and the Condors (25-36-9, 59 points) took a 1-0 lead. F Dale Reinhardt stripped the puck away from a Utah defender and waltzed in alone on Grizzlies G Wylie Rogers. He slipped in his fifth goal of the season, in just his seventh professional game, at 8:31 of the first. Bakersfield led Utah (30-29-10, 70 points) in shots 17-9 in the period.

Despite being outshot 24-5 in the second stanza, the Condors extended the lead with a tally at 14:02, as LW Mark Derlago notched his 34th of the season to put Bakersfield up 2-0. The rookie got his stick on a shot by D Reagan Leslie and tipped it home, extending his own Condors rookie record for goals. Utah, who had five power plays in the second period alone, finally beat G Yutaka Fukufuji with a shorthanded tally at 19:19.

In the opening minute of the third, the Condors put the game out of reach. Derlago potted his second of the night, and 35th of the season, to make it 3-1 and LW Chris Di Ubaldo rifled home his seventh of the season at 13:21 to account for the final margin. Fukufuji stopped all 14 shots he faced in the third frame and ended up with 46 saves in the game. He finished the two-game series against the Grizzlies with 95 saves on 99 shots.

Notes from The Nest:
Tonight's game was the final regular season home game for the Condors... The two teams combined for 0-for-16 on the power play, but both netted a shorthanded goal tonight... LW Mark Derlago has five points (3g-2a) in three games since returning from Manitoba (AHL) on Friday... Rookie F Tylor Michel has recorded two assists in two games since making his pro debut on Saturday... G Brent Solei was added today as an emergency back-up goaltender. Solei, 24, spent four seasons with the University of Minnesota prior to joining the Condors.

Condors hit 200,000:
For the third consecutive season, the Condors have drawn at least 200,000 fans during the regular season. It's the sixth time in the 10-year history of the organization that the Condors have reached the mark.

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